The Exterior of the Hotel WZ Jardins Responds to Outside Stimuli

With the idea of utilizing modern technology to better understand our surroundings the 'Hotel WZ Jardins' in São Paulo, Brazil now features a 30-storey reactive LED facade.

Made by Estúdio Guto Requena, the research project and urban art piece was designed to create a "Hacked City" where local data is collected and projected in real-time. During the daytime, a color-coded stationary metal skin displays a pixelated audio waveform recorded directly from the surrounding area of the hotel.

During the evening hours however is when the true scope of the project is fully displayed. Microphones and air quality sensors pick up both noise and air pollution, with the 200 reactive LED lights on the building changing either color or position depending on the surrounding levels. An interactive smartphone app also allows the public to manipulate the LED lights themselves using either voice commands or a simple swipe of the finger.